Updated: Maltese international tests positive in doping test

Friday, June 11, 2010, 14:30

by Sandro Micallef Sources close to this portal have informed us that a local water polo player has failed a random doping test while he was playing for the national squad a few weeks ago. The Maltese national water polo team was participating in the European Championships Men’s Qualification Tournament in Istanbul held between the 30th April and 2nd May 2010 when this test was carried out. Such doping violations carry a 2 year ban from all water polo activity both at international and also at a domestic level. Sportinmalta.com will be in a position to reveal the player’s name later on tomorrow.

Updated 11th June @14:30

Following the exclusive revelation by sportinmalta.com on Monday 7th June in the morning regarding the positive result of a doping test taken by a Maltese international water polo player, The Aquatic Sports Association of Malta has issued the following press release: PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE AQUATIC SPORTS ASSOCIATION (ASA) 11TH JUNE 2010 The Executive Director of the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) has informed the President of the ASA that Malta international player Matthew Zammit had proved positive in a doping test taken in connection with the game against Turkey held on 1st May 2010 on the occasion of the Men’s Qualification Tournament for the 2010 European Water Polo Championships held in Istanbul. In accordance with FINA regulations, Mr. Zammit has been provisionally suspended from all ASA activities until such time as the relative FINA procedures are concluded. The ASA has advised Mr. Zammit about this communication from FINA.

this is a log too compare stevie and matthew???? your all so ignorant … they are both good players they both did there deeds and represented malta in a foreign country .. but cmon comparing the both together is ridiculous cause they have nothing to do with eachother.. if your gonna write something write something that makes abit of sense…

Gabriella u are a joke! before you actually know the facts do not speak up and this was an article about MATTHEW ZAMMIT and not about STEVIE CAMILLERI… no comparism can be made between a player who failed a dope test and a high class player respectively. Stevie managed to accomplish so much at a very young age so much so that he ranked 4th with 56 goals In the BEST WATERPOLO League in the world. 1st division no second division must I add so GABRIELLA LOOK before you leap! Well done STEVIE!

I think it is about time to stop it now with both the accusation and the victimization……
Truth is only himself, his family and his most trusted friends will know what he took. He know what he did and if he cheated he knows he will be punished and that he deserves it…..

Unfortunately it could be the case of a genuine mistake where he might have taken something that he had no idea was not allowed…..

Unless FINA/WADA or the ASA give the true version of facts we wont know whether he is a cheat or whether he is innocent we everyone should just stop both accusing him and defending him unless they have proof

To all commentators here: It is useless trying to accuse or defend…..Li hemm hemm! Isn’t it better now to forget all about the individual concerned in this case and concentrate on how the game of waterpolo can be cleaned up of such filth. It has been indirectly revealed that a local club had one player or possibly more, under the influence of drugs. Do we want to have such cheats in our game who ruin the hard work administrators of clubs go throughout the year? So, please, ASA wake up.

i happen to know a few more details than most. a lot of which would probably just worsen matthew’s situation . lets just say matthew was well aware he was doing something wrong. a lot of you, clearly bias, continue to argue that he is being unfairly judged. first you insisted it was rumour and accused everyone of making up stories. then once the positive result was made public you made up every possible excuse and pointed your finger in every possible direction except the right one of course. matthew is 23. if you are truly his friends you should make sure he understands that he is in the wrong and not excuse his behaviour. that’s the only way he will come out of this stronger

We are not defending Matthew, what we are saying is that you, Sandro and others are trying to make people think that Mat took any sort of drugs which HE DID NOT. So stop emphasising this. Matthew will be back stronger kicking some asses.

[Sportinmalta] Lex thank you for finding time to post a comment on sportinmalta.com, but unfortunately this requires some clarification. In no way has this portal ever said that the player was taking drugs. What we said was that he “tested positive in a doping test” and “failed a random doping test” and we all know that this could be the result of a huge spectrum of substances that are banned during sports competitions worldwide. These can range from the off the counter drugs that we take to cure a common cold to harder drugs, and that is why we were very careful in our choice of words without delving into the specifics. Incidentally these were the same words that the ASA used in their press release, hence we cannot understand why you are considering sportinmalta.com as insinuating anything different.

You might also appreciate that we a respected the player’s privacy by not mentioning his name, even though sportinmalta.com had clear indications from various sources on who the player was.

So why didnt you specify in your article that this could have happened from taken “off the counter drugs”. I will ask sportsinmalta for the second time where were you when this player was playing in Italy making name for himself and Malta?

KG Reply:June 16th, 2010 at 1:30 pm

Gilju, whenever a player is tested , if found to be negative he will never receive a result stating he is negative. Only if tested positive will he receive a letter stating he was found positive and this happens in all sports and in all parts of the world. In my sport i was tested twice and never received that i was found negative. It might sound stupid but thats how it works.

Mr. Truth i think it’s better you shut up ….if found guilty he will serve whatever is in store for him, however nobody should judge anyone whatever the circumstances. Unfortunately in this country it seems we love to judge others and try to make other people’s lives a misery and funnily enough we don’t look at the mirror see our own problems. Mr.Truth maybe one day it might be you or one of your family to do something stupid and we will be here on the internet judging you instead or who knows maybe you already might have some skeletons in the closet.

Sandro, I would like to know where were you when this player was playing in Italy making name for himself and for Malta. I never saw an article written by you, aren’t you a sports jounalist? Bad news make good news. It was a very good scoop for you without knowing exactly what he was having. I really would like to ask you what you have gained from this or someone else did? Leave the player alone. He is the best player in waterpolo and as we all know without taking any drugs or any other substances as many are saying.

hehehhehe yep this is us the GILJANIZI. We stick up for each other no matter what people like you say and think. We emphatise with you cause you do NOT know what the REAL truth is. You only talk from what you have read and heard. We are proud to be GILJANIZI and we will love him FOREVER. If you have never made a mistake please tell me cause I would like to know a perfect person. Truth is you are not perfect for sure and neither is he. Kull minn joghlli idu ghandu xi jxomm. Sooooooooo just shhhhhhhhhhhhh. We love you so muchhhhhhhhh King.

alex Reply:June 14th, 2010 at 7:46 pm

I have read all the comments on this article and for me most of them dont’t make any sense. His friends are behind him and his enemies want to crucify him without knowing all the facts.I haven’t done the same,I went one step foward. I saw the report to see what kind of substance it was that found him positive . I checked on the internet and i found out that this is not a drug to enhance your performance but to reduce water retention, and this is what all of you should have done especially Mr Sandro Micallef and included it with your article, cause it is very easy to copy and paste………………..
So who should be blamed for this??? Himself for not consulting a doctor . The national sports associations for not having a sports doctor that can give a good advice how athletes should prepare themselves and do these tests more often.

None of you should be talking becuase no one knows the truth yet. So just stop it please and just think about the player and his family. If any of you have any concience and heart stop spreading rumors about the player. Nothing is sure yet so no one can point any fingers. I only point my finger at the ASA for the lack of help and supprt they are giving to this player. And with regards to thruth’s comment I can assure you that this player is the strongest and best player I have ever seen. He surely does not need enhancment drugs and you should not be talking if you do not know what happened. At the moment this player is going trough a rough patch. I am sure that he will get trough it and it will make him stronger. But he needs support and to all of you out ther blaming him and pointing fingers, just immagine if this situation was on your son, brother or someone really close to you. So before talking think about their feelings, if not for the player, for his family.

jb it appears you know who this guy is and it is obvious that he plays for the club you have at heart……

You ask everyone to pay attention at what they say because they do not know, and then you go acussing that 75% of the players do the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least people are accusing this guy on test that came out from FINA not ASA…. and lets us not be Naive once again, the asa kept quiet obviosuly becuase they wanted to keep the news as quiet as possible and if possible not let anyone find out about what happened……

this is the problem in Malta instead of making an example and tell the other not to do the same thing we go accusing other people and try to hide our own…..

ONCE AGAIN WE WIL WAIT FOR THE OFFICIAL RESULTS AS WE DO NOT HAVE THEM YET… but from what everyone is seeing it doesnt look good

Lc Reply:June 12th, 2010 at 12:46 pm

I did not tell you that you have mentioned his name. But don’t you think that when his family read this, they would not feel. I can tell you once again that you do not know what happened and what was the cause. I do not actually blame you. I blame the ASA for not letting the player at least give an explanation which I truly believe he deserves to give cause he was representing US, he was representing MALTA. So I think that he deserved the chance to give explanations so to reduce the rumors going on. I can tell you that this player is not a cheat. He is a great guy, with a great heart and he just made the wrong decision at the wrong time. I am not telling you that if the results turn out to be against him, he should not be punished, all I am telling you is that it is not nice calling someone a cheat when you do not even know the story. We should all wait for the results and then comment. If he did wrong, he will pay for it. He is really sorry for what happened. But saying certain things will not help him and I tell you once again, you can only comment when you know the story. Otherwise you are talking nonsense. Sorry.

I agree with most of the comments so far, and i think that one must let justice take it’s course
BUT
the most remarkable thing in all of this is the DEAFENING SILENCE FROM THE ASA! Qumu minn hemm! 4 days have passed since the story was seen on this website and more days since it’s been known in waterpolo circles.

One has to ask, whether local players are informed which substances are illegal of not. Sometimes there are substances which even though they might enhance the performance in one sport they can act the opposite in others, however one will take it forgranted that since it will not help him it will not be illegal. A clear example was in the olympics when a gymnast was stripped off the medal for taking a steroid, when weight gaining steroids are the last thing a gymnast would take. Also with all the substances available on the internet, i only point my fingers towards the ASA since they are the ones who have to make it clear for the players what they can take or not. Also certain discipline has to start from the local league. There are players in all sports who might opt for a steroid to speed recovery from an injury, and this can even be done through negligence.

lets not be naive. im sure the gymnast wasnt taking steroids to get rid of a cold. doping isnt new to anyone and everyone is very well aware of what they should not be taking. the term performance enhancing doesnt just mean stronger , quicker or bigger it could also refer to substances helping to reduce fatigue and recovery time. this doesnt make you reach a new standard of playing it just means you are able to play at your own best more often. i personally believe that in sports you have either got what it takes or you dont. and if you resort to such substances you havent got it.

AS truth said let us not be naive….
All clubs are informed what is allowed and what is not….. I play waterpolo and our club even tells us to inform them whenever we have a normal cold and take aspirin or vicks.

So if this guy was taking any substance, even if it is a substance he bought of the counter he should have checked properly if it is allowed or not..

i dnt know where you get your information from but i doubt very much that three quarters of the players assume these substances. this is not the first time that players have been tested . and regarding the timing of the news i might inform you that the test was taking by an international board so it doesnt depend on the asa. i cnt believe we are here victimising a cheat

after hearing that local players rely on such substances to mantain a certain level of performance i can only praise steve camilleri who continues to make us proud . he has shown us that you do not need to resort to illegal aid to be truly WORLD class . he has dominated the local league for years . if that isnt proof enough he is now doing the same in the italian seria A !!!

You are a neptunes supporter obviously!!!! Congrats to steve who is a great player, but try not to blurt out any more ignorance…. Do you know what substance was taken?????? Do you know the affects of it?? Do you know if it is even a performance enhancer???? because there are lots of substances and lots which do not enhance performance… and i quote ” rely on such substances”…what are you on about.?? are you calling the player drug dependant?? because when the player was playing abroad he was tested 2 times in a season and always came out negative. so i repeat once and for all…stop saying things you really dont know anything about!! This player is one of the best on the island and will remain one of the best… i know its hard for you because you are all like parrots and just say what u hear and mostly its stupidity but lets try encourage this player as he is one of the best and we need him back on a local and national level.

Editorial Note : UPDATE. I am very pleased that the discussion following my signed article can be considered as a healthy one. I admire Edward Aquilina for the courage he had and still has to face a new life and a new challenge. With regards to the recent case I am still investigating the issue and I assure each and every one of you that whatever will be published on sportinmalta.com will be factual. – Sandro Micallef Executive Editor

Yes, Edward. I will not comment any further on that subject. However, you may wish to know that I admired you during an interview you gave on one of the tv stations. Your courage and determination to fight on reflected your good upbringing. Keep it up.

the previous comment maybe referred to me. In life everyone makes mistakes so dont make matters worse for the person. When someone does a mistake and i am sure that everyone of us makes mistakes you try and help the person recover so a word of advice HELP the person involved. If i had take notice of most of the things that where said about me i would not have recovered and today i am once again playing for one of the leading clubs in Malta due to the fact that people who really cared helped me achieve my goals.

sam ben the player is not a drug – dependent sorry stay attention what you are saying,the player not take any drugs sorry and the players not take any drugs, i think you dont know about waterpolo, beter you dont talk

We are discussing this latest case. But what about a fairly recent one when a player who was discarded by his club admitted in an interview that he had been drug-dependent for some time and that other players in his side also took drugs. Will the ASA investigate?

as for the other comments i dont think anyone should point there finger at the accused player at this point and no one should stick up for any other players in there own supportive club, in the mean time if you will be reading this think about the player and his family, i am a very close friend too the player and yes these comments will make the player feel like he is not worth it when is more then worth it …
and as for MM such news should have been released more immediately ?? there is no news yet because there is no ans or truth too it yet .. if you are all human and with a heart you would think about something before you write it. What is done is done and im sure he is more then sorry .. and he is suffering for his mistake right now not through out the suspension as people are making it worse. After this the asa should do dope tests too all players in malta so people would stop pointing there fingers.

Totally agreed until the results are out no one should pin poin t fingers or accuse….. More than anything becuse it is not fair to give a bad name to someone who is not worthy of it.

However if things turn out to be true, and as you said we are all human etc…..
the same can be said to you. think about the other players who train hard through the cold month of winter at 9 at night in an open pool, and then they see themselves competing with someone who is taking a performance enhancing drug.

AS YOU SAY WE SHOULD NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS, BUT WE SHOULD NOT DISCARD ANY OUTCOME EITHER.

We are on a tiny island and the word goes round quickly, as a journalist please write the truth as you could give a bad name too this player very easily, there is no specification in what this player took .. so when the truth comes out ill be happy too read it .. until then there is no point in writing, accusing and already giving him a 2 year sentence..

Such news should have been released immediately by the ASA rather than spreading the news through whispers just like the news reg steve camilleri was released immediately. I wonder, which is more important ?

I think that when the results are out we will have a clearer picture of what happened….
As H20 said it is not fair that we stay accusing the Guy before we know what he has done. |For all we know it might be pills prescribed by a doctor..

Howver on the other hand if it turns out he took performance enhancing drugs, I do not think we should stay feeling sorry for him. If he took these performing drugs it is only his fault, and his club’s for not telling him not to take them. It is not fair on other players who make a lot of sacrifices and who want to be in the national team and the top clubs and dont get theit chance and then it turns out they play against opponents who cheat.

AS I SAID I AM NOT MAKING ANY CONCLUSIONS, WHEN WE WILL HAVE THE FULL STORY EVERYONE CAN MAKE THEIR OWN.

Normally when you undergo a doping test you fill in a declaration form in which you write down any medication that you would have been taking in the past month(s).
This form is sometimes also filled out prior to the start of such high profile tournaments and needs to be signed by each player. The ASA might wish to shed more light on the exact procedure.
So if the doctor prescribed anything this would have been known prior to the test!

I am a very close friend of this mentioned player and all his friends and team members are all behind him. Believe me this player does not need to take any illegal substances to be Maltas best and strongest player. Since the news broke out we have been hearing all type of stories which are not true but unfortunetly in Malta we have to get used to them…..I’m speaking to the mentioned player as I write this comment and I can definetly say that he is really sorry for what has happened and the opposing clubs should beware as he is going to be bigger better and stronger when everything is over… Sur Grech the ASA is not trying to protect no player or any other person but its just waiting for the foreign test to be concluded and something else the player has not yet been banned for 2years as this article states…. Ahna dejjem warajk King

Unfortunately bad news, especially in waterpolo, spreads like wildfire. And this news was on everybody’s lips during last week at the national pool during the clubs’ training sessions when the news broke out. It must have been a moment of folly as this particular player is in no need of performance enhancing drugs to shine.

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